Last updated on 13-12-2022 by Koen Blot
Peer reviewed scientific article
English
SCIENSANO
Keywords
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Human cowpox virus infection is a rare zoonotic disease. Cowpox virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, like smallpox. Over the last years records of cowpox virus transmission from pet cats and pet rats to humans in Europe have increased. This observation may result from the loss of cross-immunity against orthopoxviruses after discontinuation of routine smallpox vaccination in the 1980s.
CASE PRESENTATION: We report the first case of a human cowpox infection in an unvaccinated Belgian citizen. This 19-year-old student presented with multiple necrotic skin lesions on the…